Michael Jackson is one of the world’s best singers. Michael Jackson was born in the middle west of Gary, Indiana, in 1958. He began singing with his four brothers. They called the group “Jackson Five”. The group became very popular after appearing on a television progam. They started singing in 1965, became popular soon. In 1970 the group made their first record the name of “I Want You Back”. It was very popular. One of their hit records was “Never Say Goodbye”.
Michael was good at dancing as well as singing, for example, his dance moves and moon walking. He was asked to act in a film in 1978 for the first time, in the same year he made a record on his own, which sold eight million copies all over the world.
Michael nearly didn’t go out because he was too famous. Once his fans went off in a faint（暈倒） when they saw him at the concert. No one can do it by now. He lived in a large house and kept lots of animals. He never ate meat. He often raises money for charity. This made him win the Guinness World Records（吉尼斯世界紀(jì)錄）in 2006. He died on June 25th, 2009, but he would live in our heart forever.
【小題1】What’s the name of their first record?

A．“Never Say Goodbye”	B．“See You, See Me”
C．“I Want You Back”	D．“On the World”

【小題2】Michael was good at __________ according to the passage.

A．rock music	B．street dance
C．playing the piano	D．moon walking

【小題3】Why did Mochael have to stay at home most of the time?

A．Because he was too famous

B．Because he often felt lonely.

C．Because he had no friends

D．Because his company asked him to do so

It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War III. She’ll talk about my lack of a bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her co-worker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I’m the type of person who loves to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of fame (名聲) or salary(薪水).
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 a.m. and usually comes home around 5 p.m. or even 6 p.m. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
【小題1】Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?

A．The writer’s studies.	B．The writer’s future job
C．Dinner plans	D．Wars around the world

【小題2】We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother ____________.

A．doesn’t want the writer to major in English

B．doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor

C．gets along very well with the writer

D．doesn’t think working in the science field is a good idea

【小題3】The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means _____________.

A．a(chǎn)grees

B．shouts

C．complains

D．smiles

【小題4】Which of following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?

A．He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.

B．He wants to find a job in his community in the future.

C．He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.

D．He wants to do something he really likes in the future.

Now more and more people like talking about something that they are interested in. Here is a page from an Internet Forum (論壇). Some people are discussing who is a better singer.
Internet Forum

Writer	Time	Topic: Who’s a better singer, Andy Lau or Jacky Cheung?
Lucy	1-17-2012 2:45 p.m.	Some people say Jacky Cheung is the best Chinese singer. I don’t think so! Andy Lau is the best. I went to his concert last year. It was so hard to believe, I almost cried! OK, I did cry. That’s because Andy Lau is so handsome!
Anita	1-17-2012 4:38 p.m.	I don’t agree at all. Andy Lau sounds like every other singer. His voice is nothing special. However, Jacky Cheung’s is different from others’, and his songs are so romantic!
Tom	1-17-2012 8:55 p.m.	I think they are about the same. But Jacky Cheung is really a better actor. I’ve seen almost all of his movies. Remember the one that he played the lead role of an airplane pilot in, and his plane hit a hill. I love that movie!
Peter	1-18-2012 10:17 a.m.	I also think Jacky Cheung is a better singer, I prefer his Cantonese(粵語) songs. Maybe they sound better because Cantonese is his first language.
Anita	1-18-2012 12:47 p.m.	I agree. Jacky Cheung’s Cantonese songs are better than his Mandarin(普通話) songs though I still like all his songs.

 
【小題1】Who likes Andy Lau best?

A．Lucy

B．Anita

C．Tom

D．Peter

【小題2】Who think(s) Jacky Cheung a better singer ?

A．Anita

B．Peter

C．Tom

D．Anita and Peter

【小題3】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Nobody likes Jacky Cheung’s movies.

B．Jacky Cheung is a good singer and actor.

C．Lucy has never seen an Andy Lau’s concert.

D．Anita thinks Andy Lau’s voice is more special than Jacky Cheung’s.

There is no doubt that mothers play an important leading role in the lives of their children. But what about a father's role? I believe that fathers play just as important a role as mothers.
Fathers give us support. They are the shore（岸）we swim to when our arms and legs feel increasingly tired. They are the strength we rely on （依靠）as we take our first steps into the world. Fathers can be gentle and powerful, but they probably have the simplest love we ever know.
_______, the father is their first hero and possibly the only man they will ever feel comfortable loving.
For daughters, the father is the first man they admire and the first man whose eyes shine with happiness when they look at them. He is the first man to fall in love with them.
For mothers, the father of our children is the person we can believe in to watch over the babies as closely as we would. We are protectedin the knowledge of their love. A father is the person on the planet with whom we can do whatever we want ... one who will be just as interested and never feel bored in the face of our devotion.
Without fathers, we wouldn't be mums. I would like to thank them from all our hearts for this honor and for being our partners in the business of raising children.
【小題1】From the passage, we can know the writer is a_______.

A．father

B．mother

C．son

D．daughter

【小題2】Which of the following can be put on the line in the third paragraph?

A．For parents.

B．For families.

C．For others.

D．For sons.

【小題3】According to the passage, we can know that__________ .

A．fathers' love is different from mothers'

B．fathers are always simple and strong

C．fathers can look after their babies better

D．fathers are more important than mothers

【小題4】The best title for the passage is_______.

A．Father, I love you	B．Fathers are our heroes
C．The importance of fathers	D．Fathers and mothers

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容,完成下列表格,每空一詞。
The home of the future won’t be completely different and we will be living in houses and flats as we do today. But people will want to shape their homes to match their dreams. No two homes will be the same. People will be able to buy “house materials” containing moveable walls, doors and windows. They will put together the different parts to create the home they want.
Many jobs that we do today will disappear, others will still be done but will change and new jobs will be created. Skilled workers such as builders, gardeners and electricians won’t disappear because machines can’t take the place of them. We will still have teachers because students need human contact. But they will be using modern technology in class more and students will be working more from home.
Space holidays will develop in the future, but these holidays won’t be for everyone because they won’t be cheap. Short space trips will develop first, then hotels will move around the earth where it will be possible to have a longer vacation. By the end of the next century, there will be holiday centers on the moon with things needed for families.
There will be no paper in the future. Instead, there will be e-paper which people will be able to use over and over again. This will develop in order to protect nature. E-newspapers and e-magazines will take the place of traditional newspapers and magazines and we will download information and news articles from the Internet every day onto our re-useable paper.
As we know, the earth is going to disappear sometime in the future. This isn’t going to happen tomorrow but scientists say that it will happen in five billion years. We will have to find another home. At sometime in the future far away, either we stay on the earth and die with it, or we leave and move to another plant. There won’t be any other choice.

Title: Tomorrow’s   【小題1】
Things talked about	Changes described
Houses	Homes of future will all be   【小題2】 from one another.
【小題3】	Skilled workers will still be   【小題4】. Teachers’ work will change a lot   【小題5】 of modern technology.
Vacations	Space trips and staying in space hotels will still only be for   【小題6】 people because they won’t be cheap. Some people can   【小題7】 their holidays on the moon.
Information	E-paper will be used   【小題8】 of traditional paper and the   【小題9】 of the e-paper will protect nature.
The future	People will have to   【小題10】 to another planet.

 

After my husband died, my world crashed around me. My six children were 10, nine, eight, six, three and 18 months, and I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities of earning a living, caring for the children and simply keeping my head above water.
I was fortunate to find a wonderful housekeeper to care for the children during the week, but from Friday nights to Monday mornings, the children and I were alone, and frankly I was uneasy. Every unusual noise or any late-night phone call filled me with fear. I felt incredibly alone.
One Friday evening I came home from work to find a big beautiful German shepherd(牧羊犬) on our doorstep. It was obvious he wanted to make the house his home. The children took an instant liking to "German" and begged me to let him in. I agreed to let him sleep in the basement until the next day. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in many weeks.
The following morning we made phone calls and checked lost-and-found ads for German’s owner, but with no results. Saturday night he was still with us. 
On Sunday I had planned to take the children on a picnic. Since I thought it best to leave German behind in case his owner came by, we drove off without him. When we stopped to get gas at a local station, we were amazed to see German racing to the gas station after us. He stayed again Sunday night.  
Monday morning I let him out for a run while the children got ready for school. He didn’t come back. We thought we’d never see him again. On Friday evening, German was back again. We took him in, and again he stayed until Monday morning, when our housekeeper arrived. It went like this for almost 10 months. We looked forward to his coming each Monday morning he left home.
Each week, between German's visits, I grew a little braver, but every weekend I enjoyed his company. Then one Monday morning we patted his head and let him out for what turned out to be the last time. He never came back. 
【小題1】What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?

A．trying to keep calm in public	B．trying to get attention from other men
C．showing her high spirit in the face of trouble	D．managing to continue to live

【小題2】When the author’s husband died, ______.

A．she couldn’t raise the six children on her own

B．she couldn’t relax on the weekends

C．The housekeeper only came on weekends

D．she was too busy to feel lonely

【小題3】Which of the following is Wrong according to the article?

A．German was fond of living with the family.

B．The writer felt safe and protected with German around.

C．The dog stayed until the writer was strong enough to go on alone.

D．The writer was too busy that weekend to go find the dog’s owner.

【小題4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．A homeless dog	B．A friend’s strength
C．How to keep a dog	D．Keep up when in trouble

If you are lost in the mountains, stay calm in the face of darkness, loneliness, and the unknown. It will greatly increase your chances of survival. Many people think that preparing necessary equipment and knowing how to use it are very important, but actually eighty percent of mountain survivals is your reaction(反應(yīng)) to fear.
Find a hiding place.
Unnecessary efforts will make you sweat and make you cold. Find a hiding place around you before trying to start your own construction. If you are in a snow-covered area, you may be able to dig a cave in deep snow for protection from the wind. You should try to hide yourself in the middle of the mountain if possible. Stay out of valleys—cold air falls, and the valley floor can be the coldest area on the mountain.
Signal rescuers for help.
The best time to signal rescuers(救援者) is during the day. Signal for help from the highest point possible—it will be easier for rescuers to see you, and any sound you make will farther. If you take a box of matches and a space blanket (a special blanket for traveling), build three smoky fires and put your blanket—gold side facing out—on the ground.
Do not walk away.
It will make finding you more difficult, as search teams will be trying to follow your path and may miss you if you have gone off in a different direction. Searchers often end up finding a car with no one.
If you get frostbite（凍傷）, do not rewarm the affected area until you’re out of danger. You can walk on frostbitten feet, but once you warm the area and can feel the pain, you will not want to walk anywhere. Try to protect the frostbitten area and keep it dry until you are rescued.
【小題1】When lost in the mountains, you can increase your chances of survival if you _____.

A．try to find a car immediately	B．take a space blanket with you
C．do more physical labor	D．walk as far as possible to find help

【小題2】According to the passage, people most probably fail to survive if they _____.

A．do not keep themselves warm	B．stay in the middle of the mountain
C．do not take enough equipment	D．stay in a snow-covered area

【小題3】What can we infer from the passage?

A．Never go to unfamiliar places alone.	B．Mountain traveling is dangerous.
C．Don’t get frightened in danger.	D．Don’t travel by yourself.

【小題4】The passage talks mainly about _____.

A．mountain traveling	B．mountain dangers
C．mountain survivals	D．mountain searching

THIS is a story about a boy called Sparky. For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He got a zero in physics. It made him the worst physics student in the school’s history. He didn’t do much better in sports. He made the school golf team, but lost the only important match of the season.
He didn’t have friends, either. Other kids didn’t care about him. If a classmate said “hello” to Sparky outside of school, he would feel very surprised. There’s no way to tell how he might have done at dating(約會). Sparky never once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.  
He was a loser(失敗者), and he and his classmates knew it. But, somehow, he decided to keep trying. The only thing important in his life was drawing. He was proud of his ability even though no one else appreciated it. He submitted(遞交) some cartoons for his high school yearbook, but they were rejected.
After completing high school he wrote a letter to the Walt Disney Studios. He was told to submit some samples. He spent a great deal of time on the drawings. They were rejected. Another loss for the loser.  
So Sparky decided to write his own auto biography(自傳) in cartoons. He created his childhood self – a little-boy loser: Charlie. He never succeeded in kicking a football and never got a date with the little red-haired girl. Sparky, the boy who had such a lack of success in school and whose work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schulz. He created the Peanuts comic strip and the world-famous cartoon characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy. 
【小題1】From the first paragraph we can see that Sparky was        in high school.

A．a(chǎn) loser

B．a(chǎn) talented boy

C．a(chǎn) good player

D．a(chǎn) bad boy

【小題2】Sparky never asked a girl for dating because he was afraid of       .

A．making mistakes	B．making friends
C．being refused	D．talking to girls

【小題3】What does the underlined word “He” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．His cartoon character Charlie	B．Snoopy
C．Charles Schulz	D．Walt Disney

【小題4】His only success mentioned in this passage is           .

A．his autobiography in cartoons．	B．his artwork submitted to the Yearbook
C．his cartoons submitted to Walt Disney Studios	D．his golf match in high school

The Girl From the Street
The workers who brought the girl to the orphanage（孤兒院）knew little about her. The streets where they found her had been her home for many years. Her parents were unknown. They left her long ago. At the orphanage, the girl, like all the children there, was taught to read and write. While she was studying at the orphanage, she learned something else—to be independent（獨立）. At twenty-one, she left the orphanage and began working as a secretary.（秘書）And then, in 1975, while she was still working as an ordinary secretary, something special happened. She entered the Miss Hong Kong competition and won it. This was the turning point in her life. Now her name, Mary Cheung, was known to everybody.
Mary entered the competition because she wanted to show that orphanage girls could be something. Winning the competition gave her the chance to start a new life. This led her first into television and then into business as a manager. When she was working as a manager, she had trouble with her reports. “My English just wasn’t good enough.” She says. Luckily, she had a boyfriend (who later became her husband) to help her.
Mary studied management（管理）at Hong Kong and graduated in 1980, She started her own business in 1985. But she did not stop developing herself. She then studied at the University of Hong Kong. Since 1987, she had spent a lot of time on photography. She has held several exhibitions of her work in many places---China, New Zealand and Paris. She still found time, however, to work on TV, write for newspapers and bring up her family.
The girl from the street has come a long way, but her journey is not finished yet.
【小題1】Before Mary Cheung was brought to the orphanage, ___________.

A．She had lived with her parents whose names were not known

B．She had lived in the street for many years

C．The workers knew her well

D．She had learned to write and read by herself

【小題2】The sentence “orphanage girl could be something” means that orphanage girls could be_________.

A．popular and successful	B．understood by others
C．Miss Hong Kong	D．known to everybody

【小題3】This passage is probably taken from___________.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper

B．a(chǎn) science magazine

C．a(chǎn) history textbook

D．a(chǎn) novel

【小題4】According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A．All the children at the orphanage liked Mary.	B．Mary was not happy as a secretary.
C．Mary’s boyfriend was good at English.	D．Mary’s life in the orphanage was difficult.

Stephen used to work in a company. Unfortunately (不幸地), he got serious heart disease（疾�。�. He couldn't work for a long time. Thinking he could still do something for others, he decid­ed to be a volunteer at a Children's Hospital. Stephen loved children very much. With his love, he did his job well. Sometimes he lost his children. They died. At that time, he would tell these sad parents that he would soon be with their chil­dren in heaven (天堂) and he would take care of them. His words seemed to help those parents.
There was a girl who could not walk because of a disease. She couldn't do anything and she was very sad. What was worse, the doctors said that they could do little for her. Stephen decided to try to help her. He started visiting her, bringing paints, brushes and paper. He put the brush in his mouth and began to draw. He didn't use his hands at all. Only his head would move. He always told her that she could do anything she wan­ted.
At last she began to draw with her mouth. She and Stephen became friends. By and by, the little girl was getting better and better. She was allowed to leave the hospi­tal. One day. to Stephen's great surprise, she walked to see him on her own feet! She gave him a picture she had drawn. At the top, it read: “Thank you for helping me walk. It's all because of your love.”
Love can sometimes be more powerful than doctors and medicines. Love makes our world more beautiful and colorful.
Stephen died a few days after the girl gave him the picture.
【小題1】Stephen couldn't work for a long time because he______________.

A．lost his job	B．got serious heart disease
C．decid­ed to be a volunteer at a Children's Hospital.	D．was busy helping others

【小題2】How did Stephen help the little girl in the hospital?

A．By visiting her.	B．By bringing her a lot of presents.
C．By offering his love.	D．By drawing a lot of pictures for her.

【小題3】Why did Stephen only move his head when he was drawing a picture?

A．Because he wanted to show how well he could draw.

B．Because he could only move his head.

C．Because the little girl liked him to do so.

D．Because he wanted to show the girl everything was possible.

【小題4】Which is the best title of the passage?

A．The girl's disease	B．Stephen's work
C．How the girl was saved	D．Love is more powerful